8-year-old McPherson boy looks to heart transplant

Thursday

Feb 28, 2013 at 10:42 AMFeb 28, 2013 at 10:44 AM

Special to The Sentinel

Zander Ian Gorsuch, 8 years old, was flown to Children’s Hospital of Colorado the first time on Dec. 8, 2012, after suffering an episode of heartbeats of over 200 per minute. He was diagnosed with Dilated Cardio-myopathy and a heart rhythm problem. He spent several days in the hospital, receiving many tests and starting on several medications to help his problems.

He was prescribed an AED machine that he had to have with him everywhere in case his heart stopped. Zander was released from the hospital Dec. 19 and came home. He had a tutor from Lincoln Elementary School to help him keep up on his school work, but he was homeschooled most of the time.

He was flown back to Children’s Hospital in Denver Feb. 6, 2013, after suffering from a heart attack. He had another heart catheter on Feb. 11 and they decided he needed a pacemaker defibrillator. His special problems did not let them use the newest version, which is about the size of a half dollar. They had to use one from the last generation that is the size of a hockey puck. It was placed in the cavity under his ribs and attached to all the parts of his heart that needed it. Zander had a very hard afternoon and night as t he pacemaker couldn’t be calibrated correctly and the chest tube was causing his heart to race again. So they took it all out the next day. He is now attached to a Berlin heart machine that pumps his blood for him. It is attached to only one side of his heart, as the other side is working correctly. H will be on this machine and in the hospital until a donor heart is available, which could be up to six months. After the transplant he will have to be in the hospital for three additional months.

Shannon and Quinton Gorsuch are in Denver with him now. Quinton works at Hospira in McPherson and Shannon is an LPN working in Salina, helping several people here in McPherson with home health. The social worker at the hospital has told them the bills for Zaner’s care are going to be “life-altering” and “catastrophic.” Quinton will come back to work and then visit when he can, but Shannon has to be there for Zander. Their daughter, Macy, age 10, is staying with her grandparents, and will visit when possible.

Zander developed a stomach infection due to the antibiotics given to him and had to be removed from the heart transplant list until he is not contagious, hopefully the beginning of March. He has also had to have fluid drained from his lung.

For donations, go to Home State Bank and ask for the Gorsuch Family Fund account.